Time Management in the Workplace

Time management in the workplace...There is so much to do, yet so little time, leaving us in a constant state of rush and overwhelming exhaustion. For some they don't even have the time to apply Time Management in the workplace! They think it's wasting their time. Yet, there are some quick and simple tips that will make you efficient in the workplace and will ensure that you keep a balanced work life.

Many people spend more time looking for the best time management planner then they do actually using it! The reality is that it doesn't matter which time management tools you use, you just need to consistently use them! Why them and not it? Simply because you need to realize that there are various sources as well as locations by which you are assigned a task:

1. Phone
2. Email
3. In person
4. In a meeting

To have effective time management skills, you need to see it as a process that uses time management tools as well as time management techniques.

Time Management in the workplace - Basic Organization

Master Planner: this planner is where you will have your entire tasks noted and prioritized; it's the center of your brain.

You should also have secondary planners, usually this planner is one that is less flexible, but more portable. For example, a simple note book. The purpose of the secondary planner is simply to note any tasks that you are assigned when you are not within reach of the master planner.

A simple technique to use with your note book is to put a small square in front of any task that you are assigned too and a dash line for information that will not require you to enter it within the master planner. Then, check off the square, in your note book, once the task is entered in the master planner. This way you will not forget anything and you will have one complete master task list that you can group and prioritize.

Priority Settings: set your priorities based on the due date, duration, and similarity. Taking into account the similarities of tasks is an effective time management practice and is great time saver for tasks that requires more preparation. You will need to use your judgment and weight in the priority versus the similarity of your task list.

Make sure you don't confuse important versus urgent. Important is something that must be done but you have time in the future to do. Urgent on the other hand needs to get done now! Which doesn't imply that it's important? There are two time management tips here that can be really useful:

1. Schedule low duration items in between two longer duration items or at the end of the day.
2. Breakdown larger task into smaller ones.

Personally, I always have a list of little thing to do that I use when I only have a few minutes to spare. For example, I usually leave some articles that I want to read in my note book and read them while I'm waiting for others to join the meeting.

Follow your Master Planner, follow your master planner, follow your master planner and follow your master planner! If a new task is assigned to you place it into your master planner and see where it fits in terms of priority.

One of the biggest struggles for managers is to make sure that their employees as well as them self do what needs to be done as opposed to what they like to do!

Prioritizing your work and using a facilitative leadership style for coaching your staff on how to be efficient at time management will augment your overhaul efficiencies and it's definitely within the family of stress management techniques.

Remember; use the same process day in and day out. Using the process consistently is the only way to keep up with the work load! If you need to make changes, schedule them within your master planner and do them in a logical organized manner.

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